WinYang School

@Liu Yangyang Dejun thought that fate must be on his side as he began to walk away from Joohyuk, breaking out into a grin all too soon. Gosh, the moment he looked up and saw Joohyuk's face full on, Dejun's heart had stuttered again. What a breath-takingly handsome guy. It wasn't every day that someone would catch his eye. And when they did? It was even more unlikely that they'd make the first move, showing a sign of interest. Suddenly, he was called back. /"Hm, what a sensible cutie,"/ Dejun thought to himself, /"He even offered up his own name first."/ After engraining Joohyuk's name into his head, Dejun swallowed and tried to say in his coolest, most nonchalant voice, "You can call me Dejun," he said, "Or if that's too hard...Xiao Jun is fine too." Waving a hand in the air, he tried to be cool as he said, "I'll see you there then."

Of course, Dejun was NOT going to a Speed Dating event alone. Yangyang /had/ to come with him! "Yangyang!" he squealed as he threw himself against his friend when they met up at the cafe, "Big emergency! I know you have to deal with that stupid Dong Sicheng, but I also need you to clear up your schedule tomorrow night! There's a hottie on campus who I /need/ to snag there!"

@Dong Sicheng Joohyuk's grin widened when the younger boy accepted. He called him back immediately, hoping his interest was clear through his eagerness. "Yeah, I'm going to be there," he reassured the younger. "I'm helping my friend run the Speed Dating rounds, but... I might join in," he said, leaving out an unsaid 'If you come'. Once Dejun had his number, Joohyuk almost turned to leave, since he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold himself together in front of such a beautiful boy, but he remembered last minute to ask, "I don't think I got your name. I'm Joohyuk. Nam Joohyuk."

@Liu Yangyang Seeing just how shallow Yangyang's "like" towards him was, Sicheng knew better than to trust Yangyang. Once the younger stormed off, he returned to the office and texted Joohyuk about his crazy prediction actually coming true. His friend had offered to come see him, so instead of just ending office hours early, he sat there, waiting. As he had some time to collect the scattered thoughts in his mind, a sudden part of him wondered what it'd be like...if he actually did like Yangyang? Right, right, that was ridiculous.

Xiao Dejun was a loyal friend. So, when he heard that Yangyang wanted to meet up, he was heading over to their usual cafe. He had even decided to do a mobile order of Yangyang's new favorite drink, a caramel macchiato, so that they could just sit down when they got to the cafe, and get down to business. He didn't expect to hear a deep voice right in front of him, stopping him in his tracks as he looked up at his phone. His eyes widened as he saw a very familiar face! This was the hottie that always hung around the stupid headache named Dong Sicheng. "Ahm, yeah..." he said, a little taken aback that someone so breathtakingly handsome was suddenly talking to him, even asking him to go somewhere. Sure, it wasn't like a one on one situation, but Dejun just had to ask, "Are you going to be there?" That had to be just about the most desperate thing he could say in response, but he only held his phone out for Joohyuk to put his number in once he confirmed his own attendance. "I'll call you, so you have my number," Dejun said, a blush creeping onto his face.

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang thought his 'confession' would give Sicheng the courage to at least say 'Me too', or something along those lines, but instead, the stupid motherer doubled down on it. " you too, then," Yangyang said, for once not having the patience to argue with Sicheng until the older broke down. How dare a low-life like Sicheng even think to turn him down? Yangyang was the best Sicheng was ever going to get. "I hope Kim Minjeong gives you herpes."

It seemed like Sicheng was having another Yangyang-disaster. Since Joohyuk was free, he made his way across campus to Sicheng's office, where he was currently holding office hours, but a bright blond head caught his attention as he was crossing the street. He didn't hesitate to chase after him, even if he had no idea what to say, even if Sicheng was waiting for him. "Hey," he called out, jogging up to the freshman. It was definitely him, with the pretty big eyes and milky white skin. "Hey, you're Yangyang's friend, right? We met at Banana Cafe." Maybe 'met' was the wrong word, but even with the young freshman's fiery attitude, Joohyuk hadn't been able to stop thinking about him, at all. He knew he was hopeless, but he continued, coming up with the script on the spot, "You know... My friend's club is hosting a Campus Speed Date tomorrow night. You look like the kind of person he'd want at the social. If you're interested, I'll text you the details."

@Liu Yangyang "You like me?" Sicheng repeated, his face and body frozen over with shock. It couldn't be that Joohyuk had actually been right on the money about why Yangyang had been pestering him all along. "That's not possible." Sicheng answered, his face scrunching up as he saw how Yangyang was saying this so brazenly to him after everything that he had put Sicheng through. "You put itch powder in my costume, burned my script, and you have done everything in your power to make my life as your TA a living hell. How could you possibly call that liking me?" he asked. He shook his head, "That's just not possible." The more he thought about it, the more he had to smile and laugh it off. This was just absurd, and his brain was struggling hard to process this overwhelming yet unwarranted confession.

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang stopped in his tracks, then stomped back to where Sicheng was standing. "I like you," he said. Of course, he did not /actually/ like Sicheng, but he had to get Sicheng to feel a little less shy about opening up his repressed feelings. "Dong Sicheng, I like you. Don't you like me? Why would I ever poison your coffee? You know, it hurts me that you would think that way of me." Yangyang steeled his expression, the muscles in his face tense as he attempted to squeeze a few tears out for dramatic effect.

@Liu Yangyang There really was some doubt in Sicheng's mind about the coffee Yangyang bought him, all the way up to the moment when the other took a sip to prove otherwise. In the back of his mind, Sicheng had even panicked a little that Yangyang was going to try and make him drink from the same cup. It was a little off-putting, and Sicheng really didn't think he was unreasonable, but it was like night and day. Yangyang had gone from his worst enemy to his most devoted fan. Sicheng just didn't understand why, and even Joohyuk seemed baffled by the sudden change in approaches. Getting up to follow Yangyang, Sicheng called out, "Why are you suddenly doing all this?" he asked. He had to get to the bottom of this, or else it'd continue to confuse him further, as if he didn't have enough things on his mind already.

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang watched Minjeong go with a cold glare, as if telling her to know her place. Who did she think she was, interrupting his plans so brazenly? There was a sore ache in Yangyang’s chest when Sicheng refused to drink his coffee, and the ache turned into a stinging pain when he was /accused/ to drugging the drink. Yangyang could do a lot of things, but he wouldn’t go so far as to /poison/ Sicheng. “You’re such a scumbag,” Yangyang spat, reaching past Sicheng to pick up the coffee. He gave it a swirl in the cup to mix the contents before taking a large gulp, then whipped the rest of it into the trash can to join Minjeong’s. “Happy? I hope Kim Minjeong poisons you one day. That’ll show you.” With that, Yangyang stalked right back out of the office, too angry to even bother Sicheng with his carefully thought out questions from the reading.

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng didn't think he was playing at anything. He was too old to be dealing with a freshman's antics, and Yangyang was just much too unpredictable to try and work around. "I don't understand why you feel that I'm obligated to drink your coffee," Sicheng said, deliberately stopping and turning his head to look at Yangyang, a blank expression on his face. It lasted for only about three seconds before Yangyang decided to sabotage Minjeong by throwing her drink straight into the trash. Upset, Minjeong shot up from her seat, "What are you doing! I got that for Sicheng-sunbae!" she cried out.

Sicheng didn't want to involve Minjeong in what was already an unstable situation. "Minjeong-ssi, let's finish our session here today. Thank you for your coffee," he said, "You can drop by my office hours next time, okay?" He waited until she obediently collected her things, bid him goodbye, and stormed past Yangyang with a glare. Then, he turned his attention back to this fussy freshman, "Why do you want me to drink this coffee? What did you put in it?" he asked bluntly.

@Dong Sicheng Although Sicheng never drank from the coffees Yangyang brought him, Yangyang persisted. One day, Sicheng would give in. And until then, Yangyang would keep trying. He never thought Kim Minjeong would be an issue, but he had clearly overlooked that meek, quiet girl. Yangyang's jaw clenched, and slammed his cup down in front of Sicheng. "Dong Sicheng, what are you playing at? You won't drink mine but you'll drink this 's coffee? You're despicable." Before either Sicheng or Minjeong could speak, Yangyang snatched up the first cup of coffee and threw it directly in the trashbin, coffee and all. "You're thirsty? Drink the one I bought for you."

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng was, safe to say, very confused by the sudden change of Yangyang's character. It was almost as if he was being gaslit into believing that the past few months had been nothing but a fever dream. When Yangyang dropped by with coffees the first few days, Sicheng had not dared to take a sip. If his briefs had been sprinkled with itching powder, then what was stopping Yangyang from lacing his coffee with laxatives or some other illegal substances? He also found it rather unsettling how Yangyang's questions had become exponentially more intelligent, as if he was just showing Sicheng his true colors now, of just how powerful his brain was. A few tutorials later, Sicheng and Minjeong were working on her penmanship to get the basic characters written correctly for the written test. Sicheng didn't notice Yangyang behind him until another cup of coffee was slammed in front of him. He looked up, the look on his face unamused as he answered, "I didn't buy this. Minjeong-ssi brought this for me."

@Dong Sicheng Now that Yangyang had gotten even with Sicheng, he could deal with the other pressing issue, which was /true/ revenge. If Sicheng claimed he wasn't interested, then Yangyang would make him interested. He paid special attention to Sicheng, and he thought of real questions about the class material before showing up to Sicheng's tutorial, along with a caramel macchiato in hand for Sicheng each time. It was a failsafe plan, or so he thought, until he showed up to office hours one day, and Sicheng already had a drink in front of him. Ignoring Kim Minjeong, Yangyang marched up to Sicheng and demanded, "Why did you buy a drink? You know I'm going to bring one for you."

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng grasped at thin air helplessly as yet another page of the script was burnt. "Liu Yangyang!" he exclaimed, his brows furrowing, "You said you wanted to hear the truth. Give it back!" he called after the younger, chasing after him to grab the script back. However, when Yangyang flashed the lighter in his face again, Sicheng could only back off. "Don't burn the rest of the pages," he told the younger, his mind already in turmoil as he thought about how he should report this situation to Kun. It just didn't make sense - why would Yangyang ask him such a stupid question and then burn his paper just because Sicheng wasn't feeding into that inflated ego of his?

The next few days, Sicheng was practically buried in work. He had to start writing the script from scratch. There was no way that the original script could be salvageable, given how much Yangyang had burned of it. Kun didn't really believe Sicheng when he first broke the news to him, but since they were not slated to have another meeting until next week, he could only watch as Sicheng came to the club building every day in between classes and his other obligations so that he could draft up a new skit in time for the biggest Spring performance of the year.

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang was not expecting that answer at all. He was so sure Dejun was right, and that Sicheng was doing all this because he had a crush on Yangyang. No, there was no way Dejun could be wrong. Dejun was extremely smart, smarter than this idiot before Yangyang, and the only plausible explanation is that Sicheng was the one who was wrong. Worst, Yangyang's stomach was flipping around violently. For some reason, he desperately wanted to hear Sicheng say 'Yes'. "You're such a bad liar," Yangyang said before he lit up the page he had pulled out, letting it drift to the floor as it broke apart into ashes. "We're even now. I'll see you around."

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng didn't even know he had been holding his breath. All he did know was that when Yangyang lowered the lighter, he had felt his heart beat slightly normally again before it sunk once more as he heard the tearing sound of yet another piece of his script.

"Answer me honestly. Do you have a crush on me?"

Sicheng couldn't believe that the question had actually come from Yangyang's mouth. It was just as though Joohyuk had predicted it for him - had all of this been because of a stupid crush? Sicheng eyed the flame that threatened to the edge of his papers, and he held a hand out, as if he were a bull-tamer trying to control an enraged bull from charging at him. "I just have to be honest? That's all you're asking for, right?" he asked, taking a deep breath, "No. I don't. Now please give it back."

@Dong Sicheng Sicheng was right. He was in deep water with Sicheng specifically, who controlled half the theatre club, so Yangyang couldn't just burn up all his ammo first. Slowly, he lowered the lighter, but he was quick to stuff the last half of the script into his bag. "Excellent idea. I think I'll hold on to this," Yangyang said, his eyes giving Sicheng a warning glare that if he dared put a toe out of line, the script was going to get it. As an afterthought, Yangyang pulled out one more page of the script and held the lighter beneath it again. There was something he had to confirm, before he fully committed to going down this path. "Answer me honestly. Do you have a crush on me?"

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng's heart was dropping into his stomach with each page that was being burned. How was he supposed to explain this to Kun, who had been safekeeping the script from three years ago after the senior who wrote it had passed it along to them and then graduated? His heart felt like it was being shredded and his insides twisted and turned a he heard the sound of ripping paper and the click-clack sound of the lighter being lit. "Don't...you...dare," Sicheng warned Yangyang, though his voice came out rather shakily. "Liu Yangyang, you're already in deep water with the theater club. Give it back, don't make things any worse for yourself," Sicheng tried to remind the younger in a level-headed fashion, though he was internally screaming, kicking, and crying on the inside.

@Dong Sicheng When Sicheng suddenly leapt toward him, Yangyang dodged him easily, split the stapled pages by two, and set fire to one half. "Behave," he warned with narrowed eyes that lightened up in an instant after his warning. "You're being difficult, and it's pissing me off. You should kneel on the ground and apologize to me, or I'm going to burn the rest of this." Yangyang waved the last half of the script, and switched on the lighter again, dangling the papers close to the flickering flame. "Dong Sicheng, don't push me. You're not going to like it."

@Liu Yangyang Sicheng still didn't get why Yangyang was trying to be petty over something that was his own undoing. He was the one who admitted he didn't attend club meetings, hence he was not going to receive credit for other people's hard work. Sicheng didn't get a chance to reiterate that though, as he was much too shocked at the younger's next action that his jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and he threw he his hand out like he was Lan Wangji trying to save Wei Wuxian from falling off a cliff as he watched the first page of his script turn to a pile of ashes before him. "No!" Sicheng cried out loudly, lunging at Yangyang to get the rest of the pages back, "You're insane! Give me those back, NOW." he demanded, "Liu Yangyang, I've had enough of your antics!"

@Dong Sicheng "No, I'm not," Yangyang said. "Because that was to get even with you for not letting me out on stage for curtain call." When Sicheng took another step closer, Yangyang tore out the first page without hesitation and burned it promptly. The thin paper caught fire immediately, floating to the ground in ashes. "Stay where you are," Yangyang said, "or your script its gonna get it. I'll make this simple for you. You tell me you're sorry, sincerely, and I'll forgive you for everything you've done to me. We'll start over." How gracious Yangyang was. Of course, he wasn't actually going to forgive Sicheng, but he was already gracious enough to pretend he was.

@Liu Yangyang "And I'm sure you know what this is. I only have one request. Apologize for destroying my costumes and post on the school forum that you were the one who sabotaged me."

Sicheng's immediate reaction was to demand an explanation, but seeing the crazed look in Yangyang's face, it looked like the younger was just trying to make a fool out of him again. "Then are you planning on apologizing for putting itching powder in my costume?" Sicheng asked, raising a brow and stepping even closer to Yangyang so that he could spot an opening to snatch his script back. He couldn't believe the younger was the villain yet he was here trying to get an apology out of Sicheng, "And are you going to apologize for stealing my coffee? And faking that you don't know anything during Office Hours?" Sicheng didn't even know it, but as he listed out each of Yangyang's misdeeds, he was holding his breath more and more, hoping they could just put an end to this.

@Dong Sicheng Yangyang didn't even have to answer — Sicheng confirmed it himself. He did so anyway, just for the dramatic effect. "It is indeed," Yangyang said, backing up when Sicheng stepped closer. "This is your script. The only copy of your script, might I remind you." Sicheng's eyes were hard, and his cheeks were a little flushed. Was this the so called 'interest' Dejun was talking about? Yangyang smiled to himself at the thought of Sicheng being so desperate for his attention. He held up the lighter in his hand. "And I'm sure you know what this is. I only have one request. Apologize for destroying my costumes and post on the school forum that you were the one who sabotaged me."

@Liu Yangyang After having the very unexpected and somewhat confusing chat with Joohyuk about the root cause of the problem between himself and Yangyang, Sicheng returned home that night and tried not to think too much into it. He woke up the next morning, earlier than usual, to clean off the paint that was splattered over his door. It was a weird shade of red, and it was a sloppy job. Sicheng almost wondered if he had been mis-targeted by someone. Feeling a little better about the cleaned mess, he went through the motions of his day as usual, finishing up his own classes before heading out to get to his script writing meeting.

Sicheng was stopped by a surprisingly cheery Yangyang. "What are you doing here?" he asked warily, the conversation that he had with Joohyuk running in the front of his mind. Noticing that there was something in Yangyang's hands, Sicheng stepped in to take a closer look. "Is that my script!" he asked, alarm already in his voice as he saw how nonchalant Yangyang was about airing out his hard work just like this. "Why do you have this? You're not part of the script-writing committee," Sicheng said icily, trying to keep his cool so that he could get the script back from Yangyang without any hiccups. After all, it was the only Mastercopy as of now.

@Dong Sicheng "Tomorrow sounds good." Yangyang agreed with a nod. "But! I still have to get even with him for sabotaging my costumes first. Then we can start anew... or, I'll let him think he will. Heh."

Joohyuk had to agree Yangyang's methods were extremely unconventional, but they were working in getting Sicheng's attention. "Well, you're noticing him, aren't you?" Joohyuk said. "I don't know, man. Just... if you want him to stop, you just have to ignore him. You know, show him you don't care no matter what he does. He'll get tired of you eventually, trust me."

Yangyang bought a cute lighter from the convenience store. It was bright yellow and transparent, held full of lighter fluid for his purposes. He and Dejun had broken into the club room late at night to retrieve Dong Sicheng's precious script — the one he had been working on for months now. Of course, since Sicheng destroyed something precious of his, then it was only fair Yangyang do the same so they could 'start over' on even footing. He waited in front of the building he knew Sicheng would be emerging from the next afternoon, script in one hand, lighter in the other. When Sicheng finally arrived, Yangyang stopped him by standing in his path. He held up the script, a grin on his face when he said, "Hi. Do you know what this is?"

@Liu Yangyang Dejun had only just started with his scheming, so he was surprised that Yangyang was so quick to accept his suggestion. "He'll never recover from a broken heart like this!" Dejun exclaimed, smacking his thighs and continuing to embed the thought in Yangyang's mind. "That means you need to /really/ cozy up to him, and make him feel like he's the only guy in the world who could get this special treatment from you. When he proposes to take things exclusively between you two? STOMP on his heart!" Dejun emphasized, even adding in a stomp of his own for dramatic flair. "Tomorrow, we begin operation HEARTBREAK!"

Sicheng was so distraught over the decision that Kun made with Yangyang's scandal that he thought he'd misheard what Joohyuk saying. He started to laugh, taking the joke in stride...only for him to realize that his friend wasn't actually joking. He raised his brows and stared off at the carpet in front of him, trying to process the possibility of liking someone like Yangyang? And possibly being in a relationship with him? Sicheng could hardly handle seeing him the few times a week during class and tutorial, and here Joohyuk was suggesting that Yangyang wanted something more? "But...hyung, that kind of behavior is a little... /psychotic/, isn't it?" Sicheng asked, "If he wants my attention, shouldn't he just...I dunno...get it normally?" Sicheng had a few admirers here and there, but he had turned them down even for being their genuine normal selves. How was he going to handle a little menace like Yangyang?! He'd have to deal with the tantrums and the random questions and the smug grins...wait, why was he even considering dealing with Yangyang as something more to begin with?!

@Dong Sicheng "You mean... he likes me?" Yangyang was dubious for a moment. His first thought was Dejun had watched too many romcoms, but the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. "You know, that makes a lot of sense," he said. He, of course, did not like Sicheng. In fact, he hated Sicheng, even if his kissing was decent, but if Sicheng liked him, then everything fell into place. "He's dumb, so he doesn't know how to ask me out like a normal person. Instead, he has to resort to doing things like that." Of course, making someone fall for him was going to be a lot easier than attacking Sicheng head on. "Dejun, you're a genius. I'm going to break his heart... so hard he'll transfer away! He ruined my life, so it's only fair I'll ruin his. He wants attention? I'll give him attention!"

Joohyuk was feeling extremely confused with the drama between Sicheng and that little friend of his. If they hated each other so much, Joohyuk didn't get why they didn't just ignore one another. He sank deeper into the couch, deep in thought after Sicheng said his piece. "Won't leave you alone..." he repeated in a thoughtful murmur. "Sicheng, have you ever considered that... maybe he likes you?" Before Sicheng could turn down his idea, Joohyuk held a finger up. "Hear me out. If he hates you that much, he wouldn't spend that much time bothering you. Clearly, he wants you to pay attention to him."

@Liu Yangyang Dejun made himself comfortable on Yangyang's bed, his thick eyebrows scrunching together as he tried to think of what could possibly help Yangyang overcome this unfair bully that was Dong Sicheng. "Why! Just why would someone do that? Clearly he's the one who started it by not letting you on stage! You wouldn't have gone to such lengths if it wasn't because of that..." Dejun gasped, covering his mouth with one hand as he fathomed something rather out of the blue. "Could it be...what if it's doing it for your attention?" He clapped his hands together, "Then your best bet...is to win his heart! And then smash it! Nothing hurts more than a broken heart!"

Thank goodness for the fact that Joohyuk was always just a text or call away. When Sicheng arrived at his friend's house, he felt like his eyelids were so heavy with burden that he could hardly lift them. He set his things down and followed the older inside. "Hi hyung," he greeted sullenly, shaking his head and massaging his temples with two fingers, "I can't believe Kun-hyung still wants to keep him in the staff! And his only retribution after all his lack of teamwork and clear failures? He just has to start showing up to meetings now. Which honestly, hyung, I think that's even worse for me. Something's seriously wrong with him! I don't get why he won't leave me alone!"

@Dong Sicheng "You bet I did." Of course, only Dejun would notice Yangyang's handiwork. He really should've brought Dejun to stand on trial against Kun and even dumber Sicheng. "I didn't get the job... all because of that piece of !" Yangyang pounded his fist into the wall beside him. "I hate him so much. I /know/ he ruined my costumes, and he's definitely the one spreading rumours about me. I just... I need your help. You always have these great ideas. I need to get rid of him, once and for all."

Joohyuk was about to head out, but if Sicheng needed him, then he would unpack his bag and changed into his loungewear so Sicheng would think he had nothing else going on for him. He prepared two mugs of tea for them, finishing with brewing just as Sicheng arrived. "Oh, hey," Joohyuk said when he opened the door, pushing back the concern that crept into his voice when he saw how Sicheng's shoulders were slumped forward. "Come in, I made tea. How'd the meeting go?" As usual, Sicheng's issues probably had to do with that one guy from the club. "You know... with that costume designer?"

@Liu Yangyang When Dejun received Yangyang's call, he had been expecting to hear great news about a new internship opportunity for Yangyang. He never would've expected to hear the forlorness in his friend's voice, and was quick to drop everything so he could rush over to help sort out Yangyang's needs. "I'm here!" he exclaimed when Yangyang opened the door for him, noticing the red splotches on the door next door. "Wahh...did you do that?" he asked, pointing out the red paint, "What did the big baddie do to you this time?"

In the meantime, Sicheng was also returning home after a weary day of meetings and drama. Liu Yangyang really never ceased to bother him, even when he wasn't right in front of Sicheng. It just seemed that no matter what he did, Yangyang would always appear in front of him to make his days harder. As he stumbled back to his apartment, his head started to spin when he saw the red paint splattered over the door. The bad omen had him backing away, texting Joohyuk that he would be dropping by for a visit.

@Dong Sicheng Dong Sicheng was the worst person in the world. Yangyang stopped by several hardware store on his way home to pick up samples of red paint. By the time he made it back, he had enough to fill half a plastic bottle with it before splashing it over Sicheng's door. He didn't even care if Sicheng would come to him after for it — he just needed Sicheng to know how much he hated him. Once he was back in the safety of his dorm, Yangyang pressed his face into his pillow, let out a blood-curdling scream, then straightened himself out to call his friend. Dejun always knew what to do in these situations. "Ge, can you come over?" Yangyang said as soon as Dejun picked up. "I need help..."